Sunday Funday – 7 Summer Pool Essentials (with kids!)

July 15, 2018

How are you spending your Sunday? We are traveling into the city to spend a long day with good friends and food at a rooftop pool party. Last night, I pulled together some yummy summer foods (that I promise to share in some future posts!): shrimp grain-free pasta salad, marinated chicken adobo, and stuffed mini peppers.

Like many moms, I pre-packed some essential 'must haves' for our 8yo last night -- yet, I know I'll be running around the house grabbing for more last minute 'must haves'. Here are some of our favorites to have on hand for a summer pool party!

1. Goggles

Every summer, we end up buying new goggles. Every time we go to the beach/lake/pool/misc.-body-of-water, we are looking all over for them. This summer, our June 'Rockets of Awesome' box delivered the coolest pair, and we knew we couldn't loose them. They stay in the beach bag, and remain at the top of our 'must have' list.

2. Rashguard

Our son is only 8 and is prone to jump in the water as soon as we step out of the car. Like most kids, he's not always a fan of waiting around while we gloop on lots of sunscreen. He's also started to get a little shy of taking his shirt off (how old is he again?) so we picked up a 'surfer-like' (read: half-zip) rash guard that makes him feel cool and keeps the sunscreen time to a minimum.

3. Hat

We're a huge baseball family. As in, generations of ballplayers and baseball lovers. We play in the spring, root on our home team in the summer, and even play 'fall ball.' We have an endless supply of baseball hats, which is our go-to. Another fun and stylish hat option (for mommas) is the wide-rimmed straw hat.

4. Bag

Obviously we like to have a big ole beach bag to haul all of our stuff in, but what I also like to bring is a smaller, kid-sized tote for the little human. Not only does it give us a little extra space for the kid stuff, but it also promotes a little bit of responsibility up front.

5. Cover Up

Typically, we end up taking 1.5 towels for each of us. What our kiddo likes the most is a quick zip-up or pull over cover up though. They make some cute, light-weight ones, and they're easier to pull on and run around vs. trying to keep over the shoulders. Especially when you're juggling a hot dog in one hand and a bucket of sand in the other.

6. Entertainment

You know how I said we keep the goggles in the beach bag? We also keep a bunch of water balls so hubs and the little guy can play catch off the field. (We probably lose about 2-3 of them each summer, which is why we like to get them by pack.) Whatever your kid is into, buy it in bulk and keep options in your bag so it's ready to go. Swim through rings, diving torpedoes, Nerf Super (or Mini!) Soakers, or maybe even just floating in the water (how hilarious is this pizza float?)... The best part of summer is that you can get all of those items for $1 at the dollar store or bulk up and have them delivered in 2 days (thanks, Prime!).

7. Cooler

I originally picked up a cute roller cooler like this one from my local Marshall's for all the times it was my turn to bring snack to my little baseball player's games. Then I quickly discovered that we use it all. the. time. We load ours up with snacks and a LOT of water (OK and sometimes adult beverages), especially for those hot summer days.

Tell me: what are YOUR summer essentials when taking kiddos to the pool?